VIDEO: Getting social for mental health

As Canadian Olympian Clara Hughes puts it: It’s time to stop talking and start listening to those battling with their mental health.

“There’s very few people who can understand what it’s like to live with depression, what it’s like to live with bipolar disorder, with OCD, with anxiety,” Hughes, a mental health advocate, said in a recent video for the Bell Let’s Talk campaign. “And those people can try to articulate it to others, but if someone does not understand these medical conditions, there’s no way that they are not going to judge.”

Hughes said education and a day to bring awareness are key to compassion.

Today, Jan. 25, is Bell Let’s Talk day, with the telecom company donating five cents to mental health programs across Canada each time a customer texts, makes a long-distance call, or makes a call on a cellphone.

Non-customers can show their support by tweeting and posting to Instagram with the hashtag #BellLetsTalk.

A nickel will also be donated for every view of a Let’s Talk video on Facebook, and every use of the Let’s Talk geofilter on Snapchat.

Last year, Bell donated $6.3 million to Canadian mental health organizations, including B.C.-based groups such as the Canadian Bipolar Association, the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society, and Westcoast Family Centres.